Between Light and Dark
by GirlFromNorth
Summary: The Jedi Order has fallen. The remaining jedi have disappeared, but, so has Darth Vader. A Mustafar AU. Will Anakin earn Obi-wan's trust again?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! I finally decided to write a Star Wars fanfiction, so here it is. I've been a Star Wars fan since I was a little kid: and warning; I've also been a hopeless Obi-fan as far i can remember. I used to watch my older sister play lego star wars, and for some reason Ben Kenobi turned out to be my favorite. He was, is, and will forever be my fav 3 **

**This is a Rots AU. The events are the same as the movie, just that I changed the battle on Mustafar. I know it has been done before, and I've also been reading a lot of those stories. But in _every single one_ Obi-wan has forgiven Anakin, and it's _Anakin_ who's angry at _Obi-wan_. It's not that I don't like those fanfictions, but seriously? I wouldn't forgive anyone that easy if the person would have killed friends I've known since childhood... But then, of course, I'm not a jedi... Note; don't expect too much fluff and mush. And absolutely NOT slash! **

**My English grammar can be a bit weird, but it's not my language. Please read and review!**

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><p>Obi-wan Kenobi closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. He reached to the force in an attempt to realise his feelings. A small shudder shook his body as he remembered the dead bodies laying in the jedi temple. The disaster after Order 66 was fatal; Obi-wan wasn't sure if any other jedi than himself and master Yoda was alive. Not even the younglings had been spared… And the clone troopers had been led by Anakin Skywalker, his former padawan and friend.<p>

Obi-wan pressed a hand to his forehead before lowering himself to kneeling position to meditate. He was aboard Senator Amidala's spaceship, hiding, and he didn't even know where they were heading. All he knew was that every second they were getting closer to Anakin, no, Darth Vader. Just the thought was enough to pull him out from the light meditation trance and all his feelings came flowing back. Hurt, betrayal, sorrow, guilt, anger. Anger. The way to the dark side, he scolded himself. Another deep breath, and he forced himself to push away the thoughts about Anakin kneeling in front of Palpatine – Darth Sidious, and killing the younglings. Such thoughts would not help him in is task. No feelings. He had to kill Vader emotionless and ignore that he once had been as close as a brother. A bitter smirk reached Obi-wan's face. Like a jedi. And he would, because if he gave into his anger or attachment he would fail, and with that fail all the dead jedi. That was why the Jedi Order had forbidden attachments: Anakin had always been quick to love, and he had finally given into his fears and anger. And look how that ended.

He froze as he felt the ship land. He double checked his mental shields and braced himself. He heard Padmé hurry towards the door and run out. Immediately he felt Vader's dark presence approach her. The darkness made him flinch and he tightened his shields even more.

He frowned sadly as he overheard the conversation between Padmé and her husband. _Husband. _Another stab in the heart. Obi-wan had always had his suspicions about them, force, he _knew_ they loved each other, but not that they were _married_. And that Padmé was pregnant…

"I was so worried about you… Obi-wan…told me terrible things", he heard Padmé say as they embraced.

He could hear the edge in Anakin's voice. "What things?"

"That you turned to the dark side. That you… killed younglings…"

"Obi-wan is trying to turn you against me", Anakin – Vader, said immediately. Obi-wan stared at them. He wondered if Anakin only tried to make Padmé believe him, or if he actually believed it himself.

"He cares about us."

"…Us?"

"He knows. He wants to help you." Well, that was true, Obi-wan supposed. "Anakin… All I want is your love."

"Love is not enough to save you", was the answer. Obi-wan listened dreadfully as Anakin begun to speak about power. His fear of loosing those he loved.

Now Padmé noticed the change in her husband, and she became more desperate. "Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can."

"Don't you see?" Anakin interrupted. "We don't have to run away anymore." Padmé slowly backed away from Anakin as he told her that they could rule the galaxy together. She begged him, begun to sob and pleaded him to come back to the light.

"You're going down a path I can't follow", her voice was choked by tears.

"Because of Obi-wan?" Anakin replied bitterly, with a hint of sickening yellow in his eyes.

"Because of what you've done! What you're planning to do!" tears were now threatening to fall. "Stop! Stop now, come back. I love you!"

"_**Liar!**_" Anakin yelled as he finally spotted Obi-wan.

Padmé looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in horror as she saw the jedi master. "No!"

"You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!" With that all the blue in his eyes was replaced by the yellow eyes of Vader. He raised is arm, and begun to choke her.

"Let her go Anakin", Obi-wan warned as he walked closer. Padmé stared pleadingly up at the man who used to be the man she loved. "Let. Her. Go", he repeated. Finally, Vader let her go and she fell to the ground. Vader turned furiously to him and begun to yell at him. Every word that escaped from his lips hurt. Obi-wan crouched down beside Padmé and felt the smallest kind of relief as she breathed.

"Don't make me kill you", Anakin finally said, his back still turned to Obi-wan.

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the republic, to _democracy_!" no matter how much he tried to keep to his jedi serenity anger slipped into the last word.

"If you're not with me… Then you're my enemy."

"Only a sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must", Obi-wan answered calmly and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt.

"You will try", was the dark reply, and the fight begun. Further and further away from the spaceship, and all the time he fought in defence. Anakin was no doubt one of the Order's best fighters, but Obi-wan was not far behind. He simply chose not to show it too much .He didn't want "glory". He knew that Anakin was more than familiar with his Soresu, and Obi-wan with Anakin's Djem su. They had fought a war together, and new the other's moves like the back of their hands. A change to Ataru would most likely confuse is former padawan, but it was something that kept him from doing so.

And the battle went on.

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><p>Padmé opened her eyes. She was laying down, face to the ground and in an uncomfortable position. She tried to sit up, but at once the word begun to spin. Her throat and head ached, and her heart even more when she remembered why. <em>Anakin<em>. She closed her eyes briefly. Obi-wan had been right, after all. She glanced around and wondered where they had gone. The last thing she remembered was Anakin's furious face as he strangled her. Suddenly she was filled by a desperate need to bring him back. The sweet little boy she met at Tatooine all those years ago couldn't be completely gone, could he? She staggered to her feet and almost fell back again. The baby was kicking. And it hurt. She cast a glance back to the spaceship were she knew a medical droid was. She was in the ninth month, after all. After a few seconds thinking se turned away from the ship. Se caught the sight of two blue lightsabers clashing to each other, and with a sickening feeling she realised it was Obi-wan and Anakin fighting.

All thoughts about the pain in her stomach disappeared as she took of towards the blue lights. She couldn't bear the thought of Anakin being hurt, or worse, killed. Not Obi-wan either. Over the years he had become a very close friend to her. She ran as fast as she could.

Every time she seemed to catch up with the two men, they disappeared again. She managed to see a little bit of them as Anakin forced Obi-wan to back into the control room. She hurried after them, just to stop dead as she entered the room. They were fighting furiously, with a speed Padmé thought impossible for humans. The lightsabers were moving so fast they were only fuzzy lightings.

Suddenly, the older jedi seemed to do a mistake by raising his weapon a bit to high, which Anakin immediately took advantage of. Before Padmé realised what happened he had grabbed Obi-wan's hand which hold the lightsaber, while he used his mechanical hand to choke his former master.

"Anakin, stop!" she cried out. Anakin glanced up quickly with yellow eyes without letting go of Obi-wan's throat. However, the sight of her only seemed to anger him further and he used his own weight to make his grip even more deadly as he pushed down the other man. Padmé could only stand helpless and watch, considering an invisible wall of the force seemed to hold her in place.

Obi-wan kicked out and Anakin lost his death grip. The jedi took in deep, gulping breaths before Anakin attacked again.

"Please!" Padmé screamed. Neither sith or jedi paid her any attention. She screamed again as Anakin fell flat on his back and Obi-wan brought his lightsaber down. Anakin managed to get his own saber and blocked the blow. The fight turned even more intensive.

Once again they were closed to each other again, and this time they fought with the force. Both of their faces were deeply concentrated, before they flew in opposite directions.

Anakin was the one who was on his feet first, and jumped at Obi-wan, who quickly stepped out of his way. The blue lightsaber sank down in a control board and warning beeps echoed in the room.

The men was about to continue the fight when an explosion shook the place. The floor crumbled, the roof fell in and the walls cracked. The sounds were extreme, and the word went black.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? Should i keep write it? Erase it? Or leave the Star wars universe immediately and never come back? Please tell me what you think!<strong>

**P.s; If you liked it, reviews make me update faster ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my... It's been a time, hasn't it? Well, school's soon over, so I should have more freetime then, right ;) Ahem, tomorrow is my English test. I guess fanfiction writing can be counted as practicing?... Yeah yeah, sorry teacher..**

**Thank you so much for your reviews! Only later it hit me that I should PM sometimes too *innocent whistling* So, after a long time I finally publish chapter 2:**

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><p>Anakin groaned and rubbed his eyes. What in the world had just happened? He took in his surroundings with groggy thoughts and spotted Obi-wan lying half-crushed under heavy rubbles of metal.<p>

His first reaction was panic, which he quickly suppressed. The _jedi _were his enemy, and his former master had betrayed him. Anakin gave him a chance – Kenobi could have joined him and seen the Empire bringing peace and justice to the galaxy. Instead, that darn man had chosen to cling to the Jedi's foolish laws and rules and blah blah.

Anakin – _Vader_ wasn't as weak and pathetic as them. Neither had he been brainwashed by the jedi whole his life, even if they had tried. He scowled in disgust when he thought of the children who were taken away from their parents. Maybe it wasn't their fault from the beginning, but it didn't stop them for continuing on when they grew up. It was a dark circle.

But back to the question... What _had_ happened? The roof had given in, that much he knew. The force tugged gently in the back of his mind, silently reminding him of the answer he already knew.

Anakin bit his lip. He had heard reports of the seismographs on Mustafar catching up distressing signals: frantic warnings of earthquakes. And not just deep rumbling in the ground, but something far, far greater. Now the fire planet finally had had enough.

Throwing a look out over the place he could see roaring fire, lava flooding uncontrollable and building tumbling down. The intense heat burned in his eyes, his throat and his lungs. With a growl he gathered the force around him, but it didn't bring him any comfort.

Darkness swirled around him: anger, hate, passion, fear: all emotions the Jedi hadn't allowed him to feel. And he bathed in the freedom and power it filled him with. Mockingly easy he wrapped the force around the metal scraps burying him and yanked them away with a snarl.

He stood up and rolled his shoulder while calling his lightsaber back to his hand –

A deep frown appeared in his brow as he force in place. Obi-wan had came here with Padmé. And looking back at the fight with Kenobi, he also remembered the moments before the building collapsed.

"Padmé!" he gasped and whirled around to what had been the entrance.

Without thinking he rushed forward and hoped, _prayed_ that she was alright. She couldn't leave him. He _needed _her.

Relief flowed over him like a flood-wave when he saw his beautiful wife lying unmoving on the floor: her light, wonderful force presence still spinning with life. He carefully lifted of the rubble that leaned over her and breathed out when he couldn't see any serious injuries. There was nothing else than bruises and possible a hit to the head.

It wouldn't be any further damage if she wouldn't be _pregnant_. What if… What if she had hit her stomach? The young man angrily shook away those thoughts as he gathered her in his arms. Ever so slowly he lifted her and was ready to carry her back to the space ships when he stopped.

Kenobi was still alive, he knew. Anakin threw a glance towards the still form of his former master, suddenly uncertain. What would he do with _him_ then? Kenobi was a traitor, and most certainly deserved to die. But still… When Padmé had rushed into the room where they were fighting, both Kenobi and Skywalker had threw up an invisible force between her and them.

For Anakin, it was a matter of protection. Well… That's what he thought. In all honestly, he wasn't so sure.

And Obi-wan's reasons? It had also been one of protection. To protect her from… Anakin. Looking down on the unconscious form in his arms he couldn't believe he had hurt her. It wasn't his fault. She… She had brought Kenobi there to kill him, that Jedi filth had tried to turn her against him. Anakin wouldn't let it happen.

She was _his_, just as he was her. Anakin could overthrow Palpatine later, and the Skywalker family could rule the galaxy together. No more Jedi, nor any annoying senators to tell them what to do. He would be the Emperor, and all traces of the little slave boy would disappear.

Everything would be perfect.

A low rumble beneath Anakin's feet brought him back to present. He couldn't stay here much longer. His lightsaber lay still in his belt and he looked again at Kenobi.

Should he kill him? But no… Killing an unconscious man held no honor or pride. No. If he wanted to kill Kenobi, then he wanted to see the man in his eyes before he killed him. Besides, he most likely wouldn't survive Mustafar anyway.

With that thought in mind he quickly left the ruined building and hurried towards the space cruiser. Taking Padmé's cruiser was probably a better choice now: there was no kind off medical treatment on his own ship.

The lava planet crumbled again: the earth moaned painfully as it slowly ate itself: crushing, burning, crumbling so even more buildings collapsed.

The building he just left finally gave in: the material groaned loudly in protest as it slowly tipped closer to the lava. Anakin was suddenly reminded of an old holo-vid when the building sank even closer towards the lava.

"Goodbye, Master", Anakin murmured before walking past C-3PO who worriedly chatted to him. He ignored the small voice in the back of his head silently telling him, that if anyone survived an earthquake in a lava-planet, it was Obi-wan.

And in all honestly… He wasn't sure what he hoped for.

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><p>Mustafar was strangely quiet despite the roar of fire and the rumbling ground. A star-cruiser left the planet in all hast, leaving Mustafar to kill itself with its own fire.<p>

Still, the fire hadn't spread fully yet. Yet, that's right. A calm wind swept over the dying planet, just as hot and dusty as everything else there. It didn't do anything else than blow even more ash up in the air, making it dance a wild fire-dance. And despite all the noises, it remained quiet.

The wind swept closer to the ground, playing with the dirt as a curious child. Bored, it blew in circles for a while. It reached the charred remains of a one time building and lingered there for a while. A strange aura filled the place: like a small river confused trying to find its way again. There was the source of light: the one time guardian of peace.

A hand shot up from the rubble and grabbed after something to get a hold of. The hand slowly dragged up the rest of a body, which coughed weakly and remained on the ground with closed eyes. The wind curiously blew over the pale, dirty face and played with the auburn hair.

The strange light had protected the foreigner from a certain dead, even if it didn't seem to be in a good shape.

The wind sighed. It couldn't stay much longer: after all, wind can never keep still. If it does, then it is no more. And it took long enough to get enough speed in this heavy air. Just as the wind was about to turn away, blue-gray eyes snapped open.

The eyes were pained and darted quickly over the dark sky. A confused frown graced his face and he blinked.

_Where am I?_

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><p><strong>Uh oh... That's not good, is it? Besides, I think I have to update sooner - that's not a very nice way to end a chapter for poor Obi-wan...<strong>

**My my my, last time I wrote that reviews makes me write faster... Let's try that again, shall we? ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Faster update than last time :) Don't have much to say about this chapter: please just don't kill me for what I did to Obi-wan... :P Unless you want me to hyperventilate about ice hockey... And thank you so much for your reviews! :D**

**Soo, chapter 3:**

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><p><em>Where am I?<em>

His thoughts swirled as the man tried to figure out where he was. But then, to the even more important question:

_**Who** am I?_

And those three words made his breath hitch as he tried to remain calm. His brain seemed dull and groggy while a deep pain ached in his temples. He touched his head with a careful hand and felt something warm and sticky. As he held his hand in front of him he stared in wonder at the red staining his fingers. _Blood_, was what his confused thought told him. Red like the lava, sky and fire around him. Even the ground shifted in red.

Choosing to ignore this he scrambled up on his feet and swayed dangerously. The lava floating closer and closer didn't look safe so he staggered upwards. His throat burned and he winced as he moved. His left arm was burned and bloody, as well as his left side.

Deciding he could do nothing about it at the moment he kept walking aimlessly. Every moment caused extreme pain, but in some ways he was happy about it.

Pain distracted him. Otherwise, he would have to think about… well, _him_. Who he was, where he was, what he was. He, he, he. Always he and him and his, nothing else. Didn't he have a name? Something tugged at his mind, some sort of memory that was trying to tell him something. He desperately tried to cling to that strange feeling, but the memory slinked out of his grasp.

The man pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned. _Focus_, he told himself. There was no use to think about that right now, firstly he had to survive.

_Live in the moment_, a voice whispered inn his mind and his head shot up. The voice had felt so real that it could have belonged to someone standing right beside him. Shaking his head roughly he kept limping.

By the time he thought he wouldn't find anything else than fire and ruins, he finally spotted something that could be his rescue. A lone, black starfighter stood about a hundred yards from him. With a relieved breath he forced his trembling legs to hurry closer.

Something in his mind screamed out a warning and out of instinct he threw himself out of the way. The earth rumbled and roared, before cracking up in lighting speed. Feeling that danger was at his heels the feeling inside him nudged him to the starfighter. Drawing energy from the light aura he broke out in an inhuman run. Blocking, dodging and twisting he managed to get away from the danger without feeling the pain all too well.

Earthquakes. Yes, he was prepared for that. But for the cracking earth destroying the weapon stores… Not that he was surprised over the _weapons_, since the planet didn't seem peaceful. It was just that they had hid it away in tunnels under the ground.

When he finally reached the starfighter he looked back in wonder. Apparently the weapon store had been bigger than he thought, and also older. The weapons had not been the usual, but still built by explosive material and powder-

Wait… He closed his eyes and tried to think. The weapons weren't _usual?_ Did that mean he could remember something? He smiled a little bit: it was something no-one would notice or care about, but for him it was a relief. Maybe, just maybe, it was a small step closer to his memories.

He took one more step to the starfighter before falling to his knees with a gasp. The injuries and pain treated to overwhelm him, and he blindly reached for the comforting feeling again. It soothed him, lessened the pain and calmed him. It was… familiar. Something he vaguely could remember, because it had never left him.

With that thought he pushed himself upwards and waggled to the starfighter and climbing in. The cockpit was small and stuffy, causing him to feel uncomfortable right after he climbed in. He looked down at the control board and hesitated.

And then what? He was sure he could fly this thing, even if it could be a few… problems. But another issue: he had no idea of where he could go. Leaning closer to the controls and pushing a few buttons was at least better than doing nothing.

A small copy of the closest systems appeared in front of them. He narrowed his eyes. He was currently on a planet called Mustafar, which sadly lay a good distance away from other systems.

The closest planet was Polis Massa, but before he had put his hands on the controls the strange light protested wildly. Sighing, he looked at the planet which was further away from Mustafar.

Tyles-Nu was a small planet, he observed. He knew nothing of the systems, and except for Polis Massa the small planet was the closest. The light in his mind murmured slightly and he knew Tyles-Nu wasn't the safest place to go to. But his injured body couldn't take much more. So he ignored the gentle poking in the back of his head and set off.

With his wounds treated – if there were any local hospital there – maybe he would get time to think. Because he knew he needed that. Again, he wondered tiredly who he was.

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><p>Anakin Skywalker was not a patient man. Never was, never will be. And he hated feeling <em>helpless<em>. He tapped his mechanical fingers against the white hospital chair and looked over at the two small children sleeping in their safe beds.

Just seeing them made a smile reach his mouth and eyes. Two children. _Two. _Padmé had given birth to wonderful twins. He was a _father_! The twins, Luke and Leia, were perfectly healthy according to the med-droids.

But their mother was still asleep. Anakin had panicked at first, until he was reassured that she only was exhausted after the birth. She was _alive_. His vision hadn't come true, and he was utterly relieved. His spirits were higher than they had been for a long time. He, Padmé and the twins – they were family. They wouldn't have to hide away or worry about their future. They could have anything they wanted.

Still smiling, he leaned closer to the white hospital bed and touched his wife's face. She was still, even after the years he had known her, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Taking her cold hand in his own he looked at her.

"You have to wake up soon", he murmured to her. "Luke and Leia are sleeping right now, but as soon as they wake up they'll begin to yell for you." A soft laugh escaped his lips. "I believe they're going to be two _very_ energetic troublemakers as soon as they grow a bit."

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly and Anakin smiled again as he saw her waking up.

She opened deep brown eyes and looked straight at him.

But it wasn't a look he had expected. Her eyes were filled with fear and the smallest glimmer of anger.

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><p><strong>Oops... Yes, sadly, our dear Master Kenobi seems to have gotten a small, aah, hit to the head. Don't look at me like that! He's just... very good at attracting trouble. Apparently he wasn't as thick-headed as I thought...<strong>

**Reviews? Obi-wan's health is at stake... **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay, summer! No more school! Phew, finally... The bad thing is that it's cold and the rain is pouring down. Finland isn't the warmest country, but in June it should at _least_ be 20 degrees...**

**Well, let's just skip my whining and go on with chapter 4:**

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><p>At the point he reached Tyles-Nu his hands were trembling so badly it was hard to control the ship. His sweaty fingers slipped over the controls as he fumbled with the many buttons. He wanted nothing else than to close his eyes and get some rest.<p>

But as soon as he laid his eyes on the planet's surface he knew it wouldn't be _that_ simple.

It was, much like Mustafar, burning. Not the natural lava on Mustafar, but fires destroying the homes and cities. The large flames hungrily licked the walls of a palace, and he didn't need to land the ship to hear the people's agony.

The light aura that had been with him as long as he knew ripped and cringed at the pain around him. It literally cried in horror and protest.

Knowing he needed medical treatment but being unable to land safely anywhere close made his mind race. Getting a closer look he could see an army of men in white armours marching past the burning houses, blasters shooting wildly. It did not matter if there was woman, man or child in their way.

Sitting in the cockpit doing nothing woke an icy fire in his chest. Ignoring the warning from the strange force in his mind he changed course of the starfighter. Drawing the light closer to himself he steered down towards the merciless soldiers who were currently shooting down a group of humans.

Gritting his teeth he pressed down the controls…

And fired.

It was enough for the startled troopers to lift their heads and a few staring at those soldiers who died of the shot. But now he found himself in a troubling position. Hundreds of blasters were now pointed directly towards him.

_Oh wonderful…_ With a grimace he pulled the ship up with a sharp jolt causing his stomach to roll.

"Flying is for", he started as he twisted away from a blaster bolt. "droids." He didn't know where that came from, but somehow it felt right to say it.

The blasters couldn't possible reach as far as he flied, so he allowed himself to relax slightly.

Bad idea.

Of _course _they sent starfighters after him now. Mouth set in a stern line and cold eyes may have fooled anyone, but not himself. He was quick to learn that he _hated_ flying. Every jolt and twist made his head spin and his face losing colour.

Three starfighters were currently chasing after him, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they hit him.

He closed his eyes briefly and reached after the light aura again. It whispered calmly to him and a bit more urgently poked on him. Out of reflex he turned his eyes towards the smaller, dirty buildings laying away from the battle; poor but safe.

And for while he let the light flood through him, control his actions and he became one with it.

A large explosion back on ground caught his eyes. His focus slipped for less than a second, but it was enough.

His right wing was roughly hit, causing the whole ship to crumble. The wing was barely connected to the ship anymore and he knew it wouldn't hold. The ship jolted again, but downwards.

Suddenly nothing in the world could give him control over the starfighter anymore. It spinned in a wild spiral down, and he felt a cold stab of panic. He had somehow managed to survive a lava planet, flying from one planet to another with his injuries, lost his memories, so _blast _it all.

He wasn't interested in dying yet. He closed his eyes and forced away all hid feelings before drawing the light close. His hands moved and grabbed a hold of the controls again before pulling.

If he would crash, it would do no good if he simply crashed straight down. The starfighter was almost horizontal when he neared the ground.

Only seconds left…

He was thrown forward and the breath knocked from his lungs with a gasp. The ship screamed in protest as the metal scraped against the ground. It was too much speed. The starfighter rolled uncontrollable before after what felt like hours it stopped.

For a moment he could do nothing more than hanging limply in the pilot-seat. He didn't know for how long he stayed there, but he realized he had to move. Some of the troopers would probably look for survivors.

So with a moan he dragged himself away from the damaged ship and took in his surroundings.

He appeared to be in an abandoned town. The dark windows stared down at him, screaming out their hollowness.

He stumbled into the shadows and limped over the streets. Time to time he thought he glimpsed pale faces in some of the windows, but they were gone after he blinked.

When he finally couldn't walk anymore he leaned on a wall with closed eyes. His breaths came in sharp, rasping gasps and the injuries burned. He slid down and let his head rest on his chest.

He heard a door open and footsteps coming closer.

"My dear, you can't possible stay out here any longer", a voice told him and a person crouched down beside him. He lifted his head and looked at an elderly woman gazing at him with kind, worried eyes.

"Step away, Tolly", another voice growled. A middle aged man stood before them, blaster held in a visible warning.

"Seka…" the old woman sighed.

"We don't take any chances", Seka interrupted sharply.

Tolly stood up and took a small step away from him.

"What's your name?" Seka growled and pointed his blaster towards him.

_I would like to know that myself…_ Instead of answering that he looked around, spotting flayed posters on the walls.

"Ben", he said quickly, reading it from the nearest poster. "Ben Qesaki." _There. I just named myself._

"Are you helping the Empire?" the same man snarled.

Ben, as he now was called, helplessly shook his head.

"Seka, stop", Tolly said firmly. "You can see the shape he is in; there is no use to question an almost unconscious man. Besides, you saw the starfighter shot down by the troopers. We're supposed to help", she added softly.

Seka's mouth thinned as he nodded and lowered his blaster. "Very well then. Stand up."

Ben used the wall as support as he fought his way up again. He swayed dangerously and Tolly discretely slipped forward to steady him.

"Come in then", Seka muttered and swept past them without as much as looking at him.

"Don't mind him", Tolly said warmly. "He's just very upset- all of us are, in fact. But come now, my friend. It appears as you escaped the fire just before it took you."

Ben nodded wordlessly and followed her in.

"Pardon me, but where…"

"Hush, save your energy. As for your question, we have a hospital for the survivors here. We try to save as many as we can." Her eyes darkened and he felt an urge to apologize. "Now, please lay down. It's a miracle you've managed to walk this far with these injuries…"

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><p><strong>What did you excpect? Obi-wan to land on a peaceful planet and have a nice vacation? Nope, that's my job. Obi simply has to run into trouble. Who would want to read a harmless fanfiction rated K+? Thought so...<strong>

**Reading your reviews is wonderful! :D Thank you :3 **


	5. Chapter 5

**And last chapter was about Obi-wan: let's take a look at Padmé and Anakin, the oh so perfect -and maybe not- couple. Yep, I know I'm being mean to Obi. Pff, i'm not the only one...**

**Again, big thanks to everyone who left a review! *hug* Chapter 5's here:**

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><p>Anakin smiled broadly. "Morning, sleeping beauty", he murmured and squeezed his wife's hand. She inhaled sharply and pulled away. He blinked. "…Padmé?"<p>

She glared coldly at him before swinging her legs from the bed.

"Wait, you shouldn't-" he started and reached for her again.

"Don't touch me."

Anakin froze with a hand outstretched. No, she didn't say that. She just couldn't. Of course she was upset over Mustafar; but his angel couldn't, _mustn't _speak to him in that cold, _disgusted _voice. It scared him. "Padmé, what…"

"You heard me", she cut him off _again_ without even looking at him. Her eyes darted over the room and narrowed. "Where's Luke and Leia?" she asked shortly.

He motioned to the two small beds where the twins lay. "They're sleeping", he informed her softly. Padmé brushed past him before he could say another word. She kneeled before one of the beds and stroke Luke's soft hair. Her back was turned to Anakin, but he didn't have to see her to know her eyes had softened. Her presence in the force warmed, chasing away a little of the ice around her.

"They're perfect", Anakin tried again and came to stand behind her. It wasn't a small amount of disappointment that filled him when Padme's presence immediately turned cold again. She ignored him and turned her attention to Leia, who whimpered softly. Padmé picked up her and held Leia close to her chest while humming a lullaby.

"Padmé, please say something", he sighed and rubbed his eyes. His wife kept pretending he was air. But then again, she had been afraid for him when she woke up… Surely she didn't believe he would hurt her? "I would never hurt you or the twins. I love you", he whispered. "We're _family_."

At least that brought a reaction from Padmé. She carefully put Leia back on the bed and stood up. She turned around to stare up at his face with those cold, brown eyes of her. Eyes that suddenly burned by anger.

"Family?" she repeated lowly and took a few steps closer to him, causing Anakin to step back. "You once said the _jedi_ were your family. Will you kill us too when you don't want us anymore?"

"No!" Anakin explained in horror. "No, I would never do anything to-"

"What about Mustafar?" Padmé bit back at him, causing him to cringe. "You didn't seem too caring then."

"I-I… I didn't mean to", as soon as the words escaped his mouth he wished he could take them back. He tried to ignore how childish he sounded, and how Padmé seemed to grow darker again.

"You didn't mean to?" she echoed lightly, as thought she didn't care. Her eyes and presence betrayed her again. "Of course you didn't. Of course you didn't _mean_ to slaughter the jedi, your friends, as you slaughtered the tusken riders." Anakin flinched. That was something neither of them _ever_ spoke of. Never. "Of course it wasn't _you_ who was on Mustafar!"

"Stop it", Anakin growled darkly.

"Oh, and Obi-wan? Where's _he_? The man you called father, who you turned your back on without a second thought. What did you do to _him_, then?"

Now they were both angry. Anakin could feel the dragon inside him, as a serpent around his heart. She had _no right_ to treat him like this!

"I gave him a chance to join the Empire", he told her lowly. "The jedi were plotting to take over: he chose to cling to an order which doesn't exist anymore."

"Did you kill him?" she asked curtly. Her voice betrayed nothing of what she felt. But Anakin could clearly _see _it in the force: Padmé was worried for his former master. No, not _worried_. Frightened. For _Kenobi_.

"It all comes back to him, huh?" he hissed, forgetting her question. "_Master_ Kenobi,_ General_ Kenobi, _The negotiator_, the Order's _perfect_ jedi."

"You forgot a few of his titles", Padmé told him sharply. "_Friend_, for example. Not to mention _Obi-wan. _He was your friend, Anakin!"

"And something more to you." Disgust dropped heavily from his voice as he thought of Palpatine's words. That a certain senator and a _certain_ jedi master had an affair… Anger clouded his vision and he noticed his human hand was shaking of it.

"You're right." Anakin froze. What…? "He wasn't just a friend", Padmé told him. "He was like a _brother_."

...Brother?

"_Yes_, Anakin, you heard right. Not always, but many times he was what I've imagined an older brother to be. Stern, yet kind. Strong, but not cruel."

"But I…"

"Don't listen so much to rumours. It's not healthy." Her voice was bitter and again just as cold.

Anakin didn't say anything. What should he say, by the way? He _wanted _to believe what Padmé had said; but could he really trust it? He had sensed the truth behind her words, but of course she had learned how to shield.

"Is he dead?" Padmé asked again. She didn't even bother to make her voice sharp anymore. The senator face was still in place, bur she sounded tired. Exhausted.

"I don't know."

She raised an elegant eyebrow at him. He could see the question in her eyes.

Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Perhaps she only needed time. She _had_ just given birth, and from what he knew women appeared to be sensitive after that. Bu then again, time wouldn't fix anything. Trust. That was the damaged thing. Suddenly he was glad he had let Kenobi live.

"What do you remember?" he asked dully.

Padmé frowned. "You were fighting", she answered stiffly. "The roof gave in; then darkness."

Anakin nodded. "I don't know for how long, but we all blacked out for a while. I was the first one to wake up." He shrugged. "I took you to the star cruiser. Kenobi… Obi-wan was still unconscious." He stopped. He had a feeling that Padmé wouldn't be happy about his decision. Judging by her narrowed eyes and suspicious glare she could see where the conversation was leading. "I left him there", Anakin muttered.

He counted to three before Padmé hissed. "You left him."

"Would you stop repeating everything I say?" Anakin snapped.

"You left him to _die_", Padmé snarled.

And there he couldn't argue. Because he _had_ done just that. But Obi-wan was a traitor, a jedi – he couldn't be allowed to live. And then there was that part in him that still cared for his former master. The man who had been both his brother and father. Anakin quickly stomped down those unwelcome thoughts, to remind himself that Kenobi was a _traitor_. Traitor, nothing else.

"He could have joined the Empire", Anakin said again.

"Oh, _please_. Are you truly that blind?" Padmé snorted, something very unusual for a senator like her. "Do you think Sidious would have let him live? In fact, I doubt he will let _me_ live much longer."

"Don't say that", he interrupted sharply.

"It's the truth", she answered calmly. "Sith lords don't love. They only hate." Anakin opened his mouth to come with a retort, but was interrupted by the twins. They wailed loudly and for a long time, yet their parents didn't move. Padmé glared up at Anakin for a few more minutes before turning her back at him again. She walked closer to the children only to stop short again.

Anakin _knew _he wasn't going to like what she would say, but it still shocked him.

"I want to go back to Mustafar."

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><p><strong>Aaand, there we have those love-birds. Such a happy family. Anakin; nope, he has no right to be mad at me. I'm mean to Obi, so I have to be mean to the other characters too. It's called justice.<strong>

**Please leave a review: the lovely button below is calling...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Aah, new chapter :) Back to Obi-wan/Ben, and how he's doing on Tyles-Nu. Hm, I really should write a one-shot about him just relaxing on some sunny beach somewhere-**

**Wait. That's not a good idea either. Too many fangirls. Poor guy :( Well well, I'll keep him in some war-zone for a while more: at least he's not fighting. *sigh* Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and here's chapter 6:**

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><p>Sunlight spilled into the room, casting light over the many small hospital beds stuffed tightly together. The window was safely closed, and the warm morning gave the false hope that everything was as it should. It was not. If everything would be alright smoke wouldn't taint the air, nor would the people lie moaning in their beds with injures all over the bodies.<p>

Ben turned his head towards the bed to his right, where a small Twi'lek girl whimpered into her pillow. Her blue head-tails were dirty and her clothes torn; most likely she had escaped from the fires as well.

"_Nerra, nerra_", she cried softly in Twi'leki, her voice muffled by the pillow. Ben looked around quickly, scanning the room for anyone who could be her family. He found none. Instead he only saw the others casting annoyed looks at the little girl, and he felt them hoping she would fall silent soon.

"What's wrong, little one?" Ben murmured and scooted slightly closer to her. The girl looked up at him with big, blue eyes before letting out a tiny squeak and burying her head in the pillow again.

"_Nerra!_" she called out, louder this time and sobbing.

"Would you calm down a bit, girl?" one man finally snapped. Ben was ready to come up with a sharp retort before he saw that the man's arm was missing. He let the matter drop.

Instead he pushed himself into sitting position and hissed as the fierce pain flared up in his left side again. He didn't quite remember how he had gotten there: Tolly was gently leading him into the house, helping him to a free bed, asking him how he felt. Ben understood that much: obviously he had fallen unconscious shortly after that. Or drugged. Or both.

It didn't really matter, he thought as he pushed himself away from his bed, staggering towards the little girl. With a wheezing breath he kneeled beside her, although he kept himself at distance. No need to frighten her even more.

"Hello there", he whispered softly, feeling the eyes of the man without the arm burn into his neck. The girl shook and whispered after _nerra_ again. Ben thought for a while before something came up in his mind, some kind of memory. "_Nerra_ means brother, doesn't it?" he asked, more to himself than to the girl. She tensed up for a moment, before glancing up at him quickly.

"She doesn't understand Basic", the same man snapped at him. Ben bit back an answer again.

"I do", the girl whispered. Her voice was so quiet that Ben wasn't even sure she had spoken at all. "Little", she continued in broken Basic: most likely she had moved from her home planet and being forced to learn another language. She looked up at him again with frightened eyes. "You talk Twi'leki?"

Ben smiled at his new, small friend. "A little", he whispered back. Then he raised his right hand closer to her. "My name is Ben", he told her and waited.

She eyed his hand suspiciously before taking it in hers to shake it. "Aola", she answered shyly. A small smile played on her lips, obviously grateful for a friendly word. He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted.

"Ben!" Tolly came walking across the room with hands on her hips. From what Ben had heard she was fierce protective of all her patients, and knew the names of about everyone there. She had to have a great memory in that case. "_What _exactly do you think you're doing? And don't move, Ina", she added to a young woman who tried to sit up. She tapped her foot and glared from the empty bed to Ben.

He smiled sheepishly. "I was just visiting Aola here", he answered smoothly.

Tolly shifted her eyes towards the blue Twi'lek girl and sighed.

"I want _nerra_", she whispered to the old woman with a stubborn glare. Tolly ran a hand through her grey hair and smiled kindly.

"We'll see what we can do, honey. Why don't you try to sleep a little, so can I speak to Ben for a while?"

Aola frowned but obeyed. "Bye, Ben", she muttered and sank into the too big pillow. Ben stood up and raised a questioning eyebrow to Tolly.

"Do you feel alright?" she asked critically.

"Yes." The word slipped past his lips before he even could think it.

Her eyes narrowed but she chose to remain silence. "Come here", she sighed and led him out from the room. They walked in a small, empty corridor and finally into another smaller office. "Seka wants to speak with you", she explained dryly. "Don't let him frighten you: he's simply a big hater of the new _Empire_", she spat out the word like a curse, and Ben found himself wondering exactly what she despised about the Empire. He wished he would remember.

Tolly peeked into the room and sighed. "He's late – as always. Well, then we have to wait for him." As soon as he stepped into the room Tolly firmly pushed him down in the closest chair, declaring that he should be resting.

"I'm sorry we haven't patched you up yet", she apologized. "I took care of the most serious injuries: as the burn covering your left side, all the way from your shoulder to your hip. And then there's your left arm, probably hurt at the same time. You were caught in one of those fires, weren't you?"

Ben hesitated briefly. "Yes", he lied.

"Liar", Seka stood in the doorframe and let the door slip close. Tolly remained standing beside Ben as the man walked closer. He stopped right in front of Ben and towered up over him. Ben was tempted to stand up as well, but instead stared back at Seka with nothing but calmness in his features.

"What makes you say that?" Ben asked in friendly tone.

Seka gritted his teeth. "Don't play stupid", he growled. "We saw the black star-fighter: you were in it, we get that. And _yes_, Tolly, I know he was shot down by the troopers. But why was he in that ship in the first place? People on Tyles-Nu don't fly those. It's a _republican star-fighter, _for stars' sake!"

"Exactly!" Tolly cut off. "Republican: do you really think he's with the Empire?"

"We can't take chances", Seka said in a long-suffering sigh. Ben listened quietly, trying to catch up so much information as possible. Seka turned back to him again. "Alright. Then kindly inform us what the hell your business is here at all. Sane people would stay away from Tyles-Nu: the Emperor has decided we were too rebellious to be left alone." The bitterness was mixed up with the pure hate in his voice, yet the light aura told Ben that there was something more to it. Something about Seka.

"Who did you lose?" Ben asked softly. Seka reeled back and shock was visible on his face for a few seconds. Then his face darkened with fury.

He took two long steps forward and hauled up Ben by his collar. "Why you insolent, son of a –"

"Seka!" Tolly cried out and took a hold of his arm. Ben met Seka's half-mad glare with the same calmness as before. "Calm down", she said gently, keeping her hand on his arm. A minute passed and none of them moved. When Seka finally drew back his face was set in stone again.

"It's none of your business", he answered coldly. "Just answer the blasted question!"

Ben kept silence for a while. Outside he looked calm, yet inside his mind raced. The easiest way was to tell them the truth, that he honestly didn't know. But would the truth be enough? For all he knew, he could be a spy of the Empire. With a sigh he leaned back in the chair. "It was the closest planet", he told them stiffly.

Tolly looked down at him with thoughtfulness without saying anything.

"Closest planet from what?" Seka shot back.

"Where are you from?"

The question was kind and cut off both of the men. Tolly looked at Ben with mild interest and head craned to the side. "You're accent is from the Core-Words: the capital itself. I should know." Now they both looked at him with interest, and Ben tried to find out something intelligent to say. The headache was distracting.

When getting no response Tolly continued: "How old are you?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "I… I beg your pardon?"

"What do you do for living?" she prompted.

"With respect, I…"

"What's the Twi'lek girl's name?"

"Aola", Ben frowned. He wasn't the only one who stared at Tolly. Seka looked at her as thought she had gone mad.

"Yes, yes…" Tolly muttered before touching Ben's head, putting pressure on the back of his head. He bit back a hiss. If she didn't take away her hand _now_ he feared his head was going to explode. She crossed her arms and hummed. "You got a pretty nasty hit to the head, huh?" she asked sweetly.

Ben opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

"I've worked as a healer in fifty years, Ben", she sighed. "And I dare say I'm pretty good at my job, too. You can't remember anything, can you?" Now there was pity in her voice. She was sorry for him, and he didn't really like it.

"How would you know that?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I can read minds", she answered simply. She laughed at his bemused expression and patted his hair motherly. "People tend to say a lot when they're drugged. It took a while before you fell unconscious. You said that much, at least. You said you didn't know who you are", she added softly.

"So you **are** a liar, _Ben_", Seka stated edgy.

Ben pressed his lips to a thin line and glared coldly at him.

Tolly put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry", she soothed. She pulled a chair to herself and sat down. "Now, your neck will be sour if you keep looking up at us, and my legs aren't as young as they used to be." She motioned to Seka to sit down as well, who ignored her. She rolled her eyes and locked eyes with Ben. She tapped her fingers and smiled sadly. "Well, I'm afraid we don't have too much time: the younger nurses are a bit too insecure to be alone for long. So… There's a good chance that your memories will come back eventually, but don't be to sure. Let's get started - who knows, maybe I can help you here – what's the first thing you can remember?"

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><p>Anakin kept his mouth firmly shut and his hands held the controls of the ship so hard that the knuckles turned white. Well, his human hand at least. How did he let Padmé talk him into these things? He could see Mustafar now: a fierce red burning planet in the dark space, coming closer and closer. What did she expect to find there? The burned body of the last jedi? Sidious had taken care of Yoda: surely the little green troll wouldn't bother them anymore.<p>

The thought of Yoda made him uncertain. He had never liked him, so he wasn't bothered if he was dead. It was only a relief. But Anakin also knew that the little master could be tricky. What if Sidious _hadn't_ killed him?

"We'll be landing soon", he informed Padmé briskly.

As expected she did nothing to acknowledge his presence. Even the twins were silent.

The planet had changed dramatically over the hours that had gone since they were there last time. He landed the ship on plane ground: the landing platforms were destroyed.

As soon as the ship was down Padmé stood up and prepared to leave.

"Wait", Anakin called out and his hand closed around her wrist. She turned to look at him with cold eyes. "The twins should at least not come out here."

She drew back and Anakin saw very well that she kept the twins at distance from him. From their _father_. Her_ husband_.

But he knew better than to argue with her right now and swallowed his anger. "You know the air here is filled with ash", he gritted out. "Do you want to destroy their lungs?"

He watched as Padmé's mother instincts took over and she finally put down the children in their small beds they've taken with. The beds looked strangely displaced in the star-cruiser.

Padmé walked out from the ship first with Anakin in tow. It took a while before she knew where they were, but suddenly she steered her steps closer to the lava. Anakin had landed close to the building where they had fought, considering he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

They stopped in front of the ruins of a building. Only then Padmé seemed to realize that she had no idea of what to do.

"And now what?" he asked innocently, causing her to glare at him. Then she stepped down to the debris and begun searching. Anakin snorted. As though she would actually _find_ something here with nothing else than her hands. Besides, he didn't like the lava which floated closer and closer. It could explode in another earthquake anytime.

He sighed and followed Padmé. He searched the area with the force, but to his surprise he found nothing. Of course, he couldn't sense someone dead.

His foot stepped on something familiar, cylinder-formed object and he moved his foot. There lay the metal, dusty hilt of a lightsaber. He bent down and picked it up, holding it in his hands. He looked down on the ground again. Where was the owner to the weapon?

Padmé came to stand before him and looked at the object in his hand. "Is that Obi-wan's?" she whispered. Anakin shrugged.

"Does it really matter?" he muttered.

"Is that footprints?" Padmé wondered, crouching down to get a closer look. Her eyes widened. "Did you leave your star-fighter here?" she asked.

Anakin froze. Without saying a word to Padmé he ran off to the direction of his star-fighter. When he reached the former landing platform it was empty. No trace after his black star-fighter or former master.

"No…" he muttered. The force seemed to laugh, and the gentle voice in the back of his head seemed to tell him; _what was it I said? If anyone survives something like this, then it's Obi-wan._

And honestly… He didn't really know what he felt about it.

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><p><strong>Ta daa! Maybe we're getting a little bit closer to Anakin... And maaybe Obi-wan is getting closer to his memories... Don't get your hopes up! I'm an evil person, remember? I can still decide this fiction needs more angst and make Obi offer himself in order to save Aola, Padmé deciding she hates her life and kills herself, Ani realizes that he <em>should<em> have been the cool Darth Vader and throws himself in lava...**

**What? Anything can happen in fanfictions! *evil laughter* Hm, please leave a review! I can always take out my anger on the sw characters... ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well well, here I am with chapter seven. It's maybe not the best or longest chapter, and I'm not surprised if there's a lot of spelling errors and those stuff. I wote this today as quickly as I could, because I wanted a chapter published before tomorrow. Because it's time for Pitea (Piteå) summer games in Sweden! For those who doesn't know, it's a football/soccer tournament. Wish us good luck!**

**Thanks to those who reviewed! And to the anonymous, Miss Kitty: No, Yoda's not dead :) I just couldn't kill him off- he's absolutely one of my favorites!**

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><p>Sidious was very... displeased. His apprentice, Vader, had returned to Mustafar after spending hours on Polis Massa. He had sensed two light, young presences born too. They were like beacons in the force: so light that it disgusted him. Not to mention that Amidala was safe as well. For now. Sidious smirked and his yellow eyes glowed. Three human beings were left of Skywalker's little family. He had to take care about that.<p>

First he had to get Vader back to Coruscant.

And that was the main reason for his anger. Vader had not contacted him in any way, simply flying straight back to the fire planet. What was he doing there, anyway? The boy certainly needed discipline.

Sidious pressed the comm.-link on his desk and waited. A hologram of Vader's face showed up and Sidious stared coldly at him.

"I believe you owe me an explanation, Lord Vader", he declared icy.

Vader frowned and his lips thinned. "Yes, Master", he answered curtly, making the words sound like curses. Sidious waited, yet it took a while before Vader seemed to realize that he was supposed to give a report. "Padmé wanted to return to Mustafar briefly", he defended himself, brows knitting together in annoyance. He turned his head away and muttered something to a person behind him, most likely Amidala.

Sidious cleared his throat.

Vader sighed and rolled his eyes, making Sidious' eyes narrow. He had to wonder how Kenobi had managed to be a master to Skywalker for years: especially if the boy _never_ showed respect. Of course, it didn't matter for Sidious when Anakin had been a jedi; arrogance and anger had been a tool to turn him to the Dark side. But now, when Skywalker finally was his apprentice, he had to follow orders.

And the orders had been to return to Coruscant. Yet he had gone straight against him anyway, because of his _wife_. It was a weakness that had to be removed as soon as possible.

"And exactly _why_ did our dear Amidala want to return to Mustafar?" he wondered with sickly slimy voice. Vader's jaw tightened and he shrugged.

"She wanted to look for Kenobi", he finally spat out.

Sidious raised an eyebrow. "I can see she is… concerned for him. Considering they are a Jedi and a Senator, they seem to be rather… close." Oh, how he loved to play this game and see Vader's eyes spark with jealousy. Even if he would like to keep up the game right now, it had to wait. Sidious was not a fool, by all means. "And tell me, Vader… Surely you would have told her that you killed the traitor?" Even the young man had to catch up the threat in his voice now.

He looked away in anger and shifted his weight.

"There's been several earthquakes on Mustafar", Vader finally informed him. "The building Kenobi and I fought in collapsed over us." Now he sounded bored, as thought he didn't care about it.

"And Kenobi died there", Sidious bit back a chuckle. As if the General would let himself be killed by an earthquake; that man was impossible to get rid off. He glared at Vader, daring him to lie.

Vader clenched his fist and cast a look over his shoulder. "Look, I'm busy right now. Could I-"

"_Vader_."

The sound of Sidious' voice made him stop talking. Sidious was dangerously angered now, the word chill as Hoth, yet burning like the fires of Mustafar. The look on Vader's face was almost comical. Sidious had never spoken to him like that. Of course, to Vader he was still _Palpatine_, Sith lord or not. Well, time for him to learn that he wasn't the kind old man Anakin Skywalker thought him to be. "You may have escaped punishment by the jedi for your lack of discipline and not following orders, but that is not the life of a sith. I do not overlook you or make up excuses for you. You _will_ follow my orders, and don't even _think _about not telling the truth. Am I clear?"

Vader stared at him for a few seconds. "Yes, Master", he said, bowing his head.

"Good. I know very well that Kenobi escaped you. We will… _discuss_ this when you return to Coruscant. Which means _immediately_." Without waiting for an answer Sidious ended the call.

He leaned back in his chair and spun around slowly. He smirked and looked out over Coruscant. Nothing had changed, everything was exactly as when the Republic still existed.

Oh, how looks can deceive.

Sidious eyes seemed to glow even more yellow. Vader had to learn his place, and with Amidala on his side it could prove to be rather… difficult. Yes. She and her lovely children had to be removed.

The faster the better.

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><p>Anakin blinked as the small hologram of Sidious disappeared. As the surprise by his words calmed down he felt anger bubbling up inside of him. <em>May have escaped punishment?<em> With the jedi? Palpatine had always told him that they held him back, feared him, blamed him… The jedi had never trusted him, always punished him for faults he hadn't done. Palpatine had agreed…

So why did everything suddenly feel like a lie?

"Your new Master seems very friendly." Anakin turned around to the voice and looked at Padmé, staring back at him with crossed arms. She's studying him. Like he was a strange puzzle, a riddle to solve. He didn't like it.

"He's better than the jedi", he spat out bitterly.

Padmé snorted. It sounded weird coming from her, the gracious and elegant senator from Naboo. "You've let him brainwash you", she told him.

Anger threatened to rise again, like fire burning higher and higher. He pressed it down with difficulty. He didn't want to be angry at Padmé. She was the only person, she and the twins, who mattered. Funny how only days ago he had feared for Obi-wan's life.

"Palpatine haven't done anything like that. He wouldn't. He has always stood with me, no matter what."

"And that's the problem", Padmé answered, nothing but steadiness in her voice and face. She was unreadable. "You still think of him as Palpatine, while he has declared himself as the Emperor, Darth Sidious. He's been telling you lies for years."

"The jedi has been lying to me."

An emotion flickered across her face, but not too fast for him to read. Sadness. "What did they ever do wrong?" she wondered quietly.

"Everything!" Anakin snapped before he could stop himself.

Padmé shook her head. "There's a lot of things they could have done differently, yes. The Order was flawed. Nobody is perfect, Anakin… Or can I even call you that anymore… Vader?"

Did she know how it hurt to hear her say his new name with such disgust? He wouldn't be surprised if she did. "I'm always Anakin to you", he murmured.

Padmé looked at him. Truly _looked_, without the coldness, disgust or anger. Only sadness and pity. "That's what I would like to believe to", she whispered back. "Can't you see what Sidious is? What he has done? Doesn't anything of it tell you that it's _wrong_?"

"He's a good man."

Now the ice is slowly creeping back, making Padme's eyes cold and emotionless again. "You don't believe that", she told him silently before turning away.

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><p><strong>What's this? No Obi-wan? Well, just Anakin, Padmé and Sidious today, then. But fear not, Master Kenobi is back in the next chapter ;)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

_**(ohmygiddygoodythundergodwhyme)**_

**Ahem. Hello? Long time no see? Ehe. Alright, I'm honestly sorry for how long this took... But you know this thing when you suddenly just change fandom - still love this one, but just take another? Lord of the Rings was on the television and suddenly bam, I was in love again... Sherlock Holmes, the Avengers, Fullmetal Alchemist, X-men, all the Marvel stuff... Right, I'll shut up about that now.**

**Let me apologize with some very overdue Kenobi down below:**

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><p>Ben walked silently through the empty corridors. They had once been a small museum, a place where great people were remembered. Holograms and pictures hang on the walls but Ben had never seen any of them before. Next to every hologram someone had put a small textbox with information of the certain persons.<p>

It was a pity that even this place was affected by the bombing and fighting. The walls to the left were ruined and ash covered everything in thick layers. It wasn't many of the holograms that had survived the attack and the explosions.

His arm was stiff but he had at least gotten rid of the sling by now while his head still was heavily bandaged, but a little pain didn't stop his curiosity. He had tried to see the good things in losing his memory – there wasn't much he could come up with, but he tried – and he had quickly discovered that he enjoyed knowledge and learning new things. And now that _everything_ was new to him, there were a lot of things to learn.

So for the moment he tried to explore the culture of Tyles-Nu. It wasn't exactly easy, but Tolly had been kind enough to show him to what was left of the museum.

One of the pictures caught his eyes: it wasn't a hologram and had all its colors left. Ben carefully brushed away some ash and dust and straightened out the photo to take a good look at it.

It showed two men: the older one was tall and had long, brown hair and a beard on his sharp jaw with kind eyes twinkling in a smile. He had a hand on the shoulder of the shorter man, who was young enough to only be called a boy. His hair was light brown with a touch of ginger and was cut in spikes with a long braid dangling over the shoulder. Both men had light clothes and brown robes and some kind of metal bars at their hips.

Something about them seemed awfully familiar.

He took a look at the small textbox next to the photo and read:

"_Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-wan Kenobi._

_They will always be remembered for their courage and help,_

_And for managing to stop a civil war before it broke out."_

He narrowed his eyes in thought and looked at the photo a while longer. Jedi? What _was_ that? He put the word on his mind and reminded himself to ask Tolly about it later on.

Ben continued walking forward, stepping over rubble and what once had been a wall and peeking out from a destroyed window. The sky was still filled with smoke and made it hard to see the sun, but he guesses he should hurry back to his temporary home. He had offered his help in rescuing people wounded or trapped because of the occasional flight attacks, and also helping to rebuild some of the houses in order to create protection from the explosions. Tolly had told him to get some rest or at least get away from work for a little while.

The corridor came to an end and Ben turned around to exit the building. Heavy footsteps could be heard and Ben stiffened. It wasn't the soft sound the people of Tyles-Nu made, it wasn't light footsteps of a child and the rhythm wasn't a civilian's unguarded walk. No, the footsteps came from heavy boots marching strictly and Ben didn't hesitate to leave the building.

Through a window, but that's irrelevant. He landed soundlessly on the street and hid himself in the shadows of an alley to avoid attention. He had been told by Seka to stay out of trouble and stay as far away from soldiers as possible, and while Ben didn't fully understand _why_ he didn't question the bitter man. Ben had seen how the military treated everyone in their way and he didn't want to start a fight with any of them. Not to mention that he had seen them ruthlessly kill the local population when he first arrived to Tyles-Nu in his black starfighter. Another group of soldiers in white armors walked past him. _Clone troopers_ was what Tolly had called them. He waited longer and didn't even move when the troopers kicked down a door to enter a house, even though his fingers twitched in want of going to help. It was an abandoned house he reminded himself, no one would get hurt.

The last time he had tried to help a family get away from the clone troopers Seka had bodily stopped him and dragged him away, while threatening to do something very unpleasant to him if he did that again. If Ben protested against the Empire's soldiers it would be seen as treachery, and thus Tolly and Seka's makeshift hospital would be ruined because of Ben.

He couldn't do that to them.

Instead he hurried back to the hospital to see if he could offer his help to someone.

* * *

><p>He didn't have to <em>look <em>for someone to help; Seka almost run over him in his haste. A house had finally collapsed and trapped a family under the debris. Now Seka and a couple of other men tried to figure out how to get to the family without crushing them. The building moaned and wavered, dangerously close to giving away completely. Inside someone was crying and Ben could feel the fear oozing from the family.

"We can't go in without crashing it," one of the men hissed.

"I know that," Seka snapped back and peered down between the twisted logs. The family was underneath all that and to put it frankly, nobody quite expected them to survive. Ben cautiously looked at the structure before bending down.

"I'll go," he said.

"Don't be an idiot," Seka snarled. "You'd never make it; the only thing you'll succeed in is getting them killed."

"I didn't ask for permission," Ben replied and instead of wasting any more time he slipped down. The space between the logs was terrific small and had Ben been just a little bit bigger or broader around the shoulders he wouldn't have managed to squeeze through. Seka was angrily ranting behind him but Ben paid him no attention. He balanced on the debris and slowly moved forward. One little misstep and the building above him would come crashing down on his head.

The light aura around him tingled and led him a little bit closer to the left. He could hear a hushed voice trying to comfort someone and he crept closer on all four. There; about two meters down were a man and a woman with two children hunched together.

"Hello there," he said and tried his best to sound calming. They flinched and looked up, relief clear in their eyes. "Don't worry, I will get you out of here."

He scanned the area; it would be a tight fit and only the children would be able to get out this way. There had to be _some_ way he could move at least one of the logs to the side. The first one he tried to move was stuck and didn't even bulge. The second was the complete opposite but caused a wave of dust and small debris to fall down the second he touched it. Not the best choice.

After a few minutes of gentle prodding and occasionally holding his breath he succeeded in making the hole bigger.

"The children first," the father said and forced himself to stand upright. His leg was bloody and didn't support his weight at all. Still he lifted his daughter and Ben reached down to take her. Her face was pale under the dirt and she clutched tightly at his sleeves. She couldn't be more than five, maybe six. Next came her brother who was only a few years older and immediately took hold of his sister's hand. Their knuckles whitened from the force in their tight grip.

The mother hesitated for a brief second before taking Ben's outstretched hand and letting herself be pulled up.

"His leg I broken, he can't climb up," she whispered and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And you can't pull him up without damaging him more."

"It's fine," the husband reassured in a tight voice. Ben put a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder before slipping down to stand right next to the man.

"Milady, you will have to help him up," Ben said towards the woman before crouching down and putting his hands in front of him. He motioned to the man to step up and let Ben push him upwards. It wasn't easy with one leg useless and the man was both taller and broader than Ben had expected. Once Ben had helped the man up and the woman pulled him towards her his shoulders were dangerously scraping against the edges.

He let out his breath when the whole family was out from the hole before climbing up after them.

"You have to be very careful", he told them in a low voice. The woman nodded and picked up the little girl to set her on the hip. With the other hand she held the boy's hand and Ben was left with supporting the man's weight. Then they started to slowly move forward and they made it all the way to the first logs where Ben first had squeezed through. Light spilled in and made them squint, but Ben could see the people outside.

It had been tight for Ben… But then how would the other man be able to get out? Those who were on the outside saw the problem and cautiously moved closer to help. It was then they ran out of luck. It could have been the men standing outside, it could have been one of the family members or even Ben who made a slight mistake, but it didn't really matter _who_ it was. The building shook and debris started raining down on them. Both Ben and the man were showered in it and something must have hit his head because everything turned hazy.

He looked up and saw the lobs starting to fall down, heard someone scream and automatically threw up a hand in front of him…

And suddenly it stopped.

Everything stood still and nobody dared to move, not even blink.

"_Go!_" Ben forced out and only halfheartedly pushed the man to limp towards the exit. Some part of him _knew_ what he was doing, but most of him was shocked into silence. The debris started falling again and the light urgently whispered to him.

He gritted his teeth and focused all his willpower on _stopping the building from crashing_ and fell to his knees. It stopped. Someone grabbed his arms and hauled him out – when did the exit get bigger?- and the moment everyone was out he let the building collapse. It caused a big cloud of dust to blow up in their faces but the small crowd was cheering.

Ben was sitting on the ground with a confused frown on his face and someone was hugging him, thanking him for saving their lives. What did he just do?

No one seemed to pay any heed to what he just did and focused instead on the fact that he had saved the family. No one except for one.

Seka pulled him up by his collar and leaned in close.

"What the _hell _was that?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dundunduuun. Please review? I'll slap myself if you want to - let's see how many slaps I can receive? Can't say when the next update will be, but at least it's going to be faster than last time! <strong>

**(_I'll go find some ice for the slaps I'm gonna get...)_**


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